Decker Leads Monarchs at Mat Town Open

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Senior Eric Decker paced the Old Dominion wrestling team, claiming first at the 174-pound weight class at the Mat Town Open Saturday afternoon.

Redshirt freshmen Brennan Brumley and Grant Chapman also placed with Brumley garnering second-place at 141-pounds and Chapman ending the tournament in third-place in the heavyweights.

"Our team will use their experience at the Mat Town Tournament to continue to get better," said head coach Steve Martin. "Eric Decker had a great performance at the Mat Town Tournament. He put a lot of points on the board this weekend and this is very important as he continues to work toward his goal of getting on the podium in March. We will now start preparing for the Las Vegas Invitational next weekend."

Decker, who's ranked No. 16 nationally, started off his tournament with a major decision (9-1) over Drexel's Robert Brooks. In the semifinals, the senior topped Lehigh's David Chirichello 5-0. Decker saved his best match for the championship bout against Pittsburgh's Andy Vaughn, shutting out the Panther 9-0.

Brumley continued to look good during the early part of the season, going 2-1 Saturday. The redshirt freshman recorded back-to-back falls to reach the finals, but he was upended by Andrew Alton in the championship bout.

Chapman lost his opening match, but then rebounded with four consecutive wins to take home third place. The redshirt freshman posted a major decision (14-6) victory over Nate Gaffney in the third-place match.

The Monarchs will now head to one of their biggest early season tournaments, the Las Vegas Invitational in Primm, Nev. Action will run from December 4-5.